


A Dinner

by Rhyuno



Series: Skyhold Under The Stars [2]
Category: Dragon Age
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-16
Updated: 2014-12-16
Packaged: 2018-03-01 17:03:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2780894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhyuno/pseuds/Rhyuno
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A civil dinner with the advisors quickly turns on young Lavellan, and Leliana enacts a plan to nip Josephine's feelings for the Inquisitor in the bud</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Dinner

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not used to writing for canon characters yet, so I apologize that the advisors may seem a little odd. I'm used to writing for D&D sessions, sorry!

For posterity’s sake, the advisors and the Inquisitor were required to dine together at least once a week. The only way to get out of it was to be so busy on a mission or paperwork, that it would hurt the Inquisition’s effort to delay for an hour. Since the assassin debacle, Josephine had been able to avoid five or six of these meals, which resulted in Cullen, Leliana, and the young Lavellan eating in gruff silence. 

Rhiannon dreaded these meals. There was never anything to talk about, and sitting in a relatively empty room, having to use ‘proper’ manners, with absolutely nothing to do, was a fate worse than death for the lively elf. To make matters worse, Leliana wasn’t very approving of the increasing amounts of time she was spending with the Lady Ambassador. The spymaster had made her ire clear from the very beginning. There was important work to be done, and neither the Herald of Andraste nor the Inquisition Ambassador should be distracted by these fripperies. 

This was the first dinner both Josephine and Rhiannon had been free from their duties since their last trip to Val Royaeux, and neither were looking forward to the dinner conversation that night. Word travels fast in Skyhold- gossip is one of the few forms of entertainment left to the isolated Inquisition. And Rhi’s late nights down the hall wouldn’t help their situation. 

“So,” Cullen began, pushing peas around his plate, “Josephine. You’ve been busy. Anything you want to share?”

“No, nothing that I can think of... When will construction be done? Our guests have been complaining about the noise.”

“It’s coming along. You’ve got to consider the state we found this place in.”

The group ate in a tense silence. The meal wasn’t very flashy- just enough to nourish. Resources were sparse this far from any major city, and with the recent influx of residents, Skyhold’s kitchens had been forced to downsize meals again and again. No one could complain, though. They had bigger concerns.

“Inquisitor.” Leliana picked up her napkin and held it tightly, “Why don’t you tell us about your adventures. I’m sure we could all use a good story.”

“Oh, no,” Rhi began to fidget in her seat, eyes darting to Josephine for help or reassurance. “I’m not very good at stories, especially in Common. You don’t want me to try.”

“I do. I hardly get out of here, I’d love to hear about your battles.” Cullen smiled at her from across the table.

“Uhm, well…” The Inquisitor put down her fork and began to pick at the seams on her pants. “I fought a- well, I saw a dragon today. And a giant. They were fighting.”

“Really? What did you do?” 

“Oh. I went around the other side of the mountain.”

Leliana smiled conspiratorially, “Do you come across things like this often? Dragons, and giants?”

Josephine held tightly to her fork, her knuckles a few shades lighter.

“Well. Not really. I mean. Maybe once a week?”

Rhiannon offered a sheepish smile to the Ambassador. She was worrying, of course she was worrying. No one who held a desk job and tried to solve everything with words wanted to hear that their partner went up against the most dangerous creatures in Thedas. Weekly. 

“Okay maybe not that often.” The elf looked around the table. “Maybe.” She redirected her attention to shoveling the food in front of her into her mouth, barely chewing. The Herald stood up abruptly, almost knocking her chair over. “Please. Excuse me. I have to relieve myself.”

The advisors watched her leave, stunned for a moment. Rhiannon had always been very polite and courteous at dinner. She’d never seemed outwardly uncomfortable and, she’d always looked eager to talk to them. Sometimes Cullen even wondered if Rhi was the one who’d suggested they eat together to Mother Gisele. 

Cullen stared the two ex-bards down. “I get the feeling there’s something I don’t know.”

“I know many things you don’t. Where should we start? The hole in the waistband of your trousers?” Leliana avoided eye contact, staring down at her plate.

Josephine’s ears burned, she rose quickly, breaking her usually calm demeanor. “Excuse me.”

Cullen watched the diplomat almost run out of the dining hall. After she’d gone, he fixed Leliana with a stern gaze. “Why are you doing this to those poor girls?”

Leliana looked up, formulating an elaborate lie in her head, preparing to play innocent. When she saw the expression on the former templar’s face, though, something compelled her to fess up. 

“I uh.. they… you’ve got to make this hard on me. Look. The Inquisitor is just a child. She still plays with toys, and I don’t want Josephine to become one of them.”

“You don’t give either of them enough credit, Leliana. Josephine is a grown adult, and can make her own choices. And while Rhiannon might be young, you’ve quite easily been able to trust her with the fate of the world. Let the kid have something that makes her happy. Maker knows, any distraction from this mess would be much appreciated.”

___

Rhiannon slumped against the wall in the library. She tucked her head into her knees and began to rock slowly, back and forth. She used to go to her siblings at times like this, back when she was just another Dalish. But now that the whole of Thedas was counting on her… without Josephine, she felt she had no one to turn to. None of her friends would want to hear her complaining at this hour of the night. 

Tears began to pull at the Inquisitor’s throat, threatening to send her into a coughing fit. Already she was shaking and her fingers were going numb with cold. The Lavellan couldn’t breathe, she gasped and fell over, reached out.

Josephine caught the elf’s arms, sitting beside her on the cold stone floor. She pulled the smaller woman to her, cooed and clucked under her breath. 

The Antivan smiled, brushing tears out of Rhiannon’s face. She pressed her forehead to the Herald’s, they took each other’s hands.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.” The sickly elf closed her eyes, squeezed her partner’s hands.

“I know fully the implications of your position, Inquisitor. Of course I worry, but you always return safely. I trust you to survive. I don’t mind hearing about your enemies, as long as you’re the one to tell me.”


End file.
